


A Small Visit

by supershadsy



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions, Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 16:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3735175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supershadsy/pseuds/supershadsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bianca visits Cheren at the Aspertia Gym, and they have an unexpected encounter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Small Visit

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place some time after the events of BW2.

"Knock, knock," Bianca cooed, lightly tapping her knuckles on the side of the door. "Can I come in?"

There was no immediate reply, so she stepped into the back office of Aspertia City's Gym, carefully avoiding the books and papers sprawled across the floor. _A mess, as usual. Cheren is usually so absorbed in his work,_ she thought, gawking at all of the hastily taped up posters on the walls. They were mostly elaborate graphs and charts, detailing various battling intricacies and statistics of previous battles. Upon further inspection, most Normal type match ups and battles were highlighted in yellow, while "balanced" teams were highlighted in green. She caught "Serperior" in his scrawl, and smiled to herself. _He still uses his Snivy competitively,_ she thought, adjusting her glasses on her round face. _I wonder if Hilda still uses hers..._

A yipping at her feet caught her attention. Bianca peered down to a lively Lilipup eagerly wagging its tail and bouncing on its stubby hind legs. "Hello, cutie!" she squeaked, immediately gathering it up into her arms. Delighted, Lilipup licked at her face and barked some more, ecstatic with the attention. "Is Cheren taking good care of you?"

"Of course I am," a voice grumbled from the very back. "Come here, Lilipup."

Upon hearing the voice, Lilipup jumped down from Bianca's arms, nearly knocking her hat off in the process, and bolted through the office. It left a flurry of papers in its wake, leading to a computer, where Cheren sat back in an office chair, tie loosened, dark eyes glazed over at the screen. Lilipup jumped onto his leg, tail still quivering, and was met with a firm hand on its head. "Don't jump," he said simply, but scratched it between its ears as soon as its four paws were on the ground.

"Your Gym trainers said that you weren't expecting any challengers today, so I thought I'd stop by," Bianca said, stepping beside his chair. Her fingers brushed the back of the seat, then dropped to the arm rest, hesitating before finding a place beside Cheren's arm. "That's okay, right?"

"Sure it is," he replied, glancing up at her quickly. She felt her heart rise in her chest. _He's so intense. He makes even the little things like this feel...important._ As soon as he looked away, he squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the nerve between his brow. "Damn," he muttered.

"Have you been at the computer all day?" she asked.

"Yes," he grunted, grasping for a bottle amongst the clutter on his desk. A couple Poke balls fell to the floor, as well as some loose leaf pages with unintelligible scrawl. He uncapped it to reveal an eye dropper, which he promptly squeezed into each eye. "It dries my eyes out."

"Your contacts don't help?"

"N-no." He started to pout. "I really only need them when I'm battling anyway."

Lilipup barked at their feet, which somehow only furthered Cheren's pouting. "Well, it's true!" he said to it. Bianca giggled, then took a closer look at Cheren's computer screen. "So, what have you been doing, Leader Cheren?"

"Research mostly," he said, redirecting his attention to the computer. It appeared to be a forum site as he scrolled down the page. "The World Tournament is coming up, and I'd like to be prepared. Are you entering?"

"Me? Oh, no," she said, scratching the back of her neck. She felt her face grow hot. "Y-you know I'm not good with battling. You and Hilda were always the battling type."

The mention of Hilda brought a heaviness to the room, and for a moment, Bianca found it difficult to speak. _We haven't seen Hilda since Team Plasma took over the Pokemon League. It's been over two years since she left with that black dragon Pokemon._ "A-ah," she struggled, pulling at her jacket sleeves. "I-I don't think I'd even qualify."

"You treat your Pokemon with care," he muttered, directing his eyes to the computer rather than her. "That can take you further than pure strength can."

"Mmm." She stared down at the floor, to a curious Lilipup. _Hilda could do both. She had such an incredible bond with her friends, and they were so strong. When she was battling, she was so fierce and determined, like she could conquer the world...but she was also so beautiful and kind._

"Oh, come on!" Cheren snapped, jumping Bianca so much that she yelped. Even Lilipup went into a defensive stance, hind legs arched back and ears erect.

"What?" she replied as her heart attempted to settle. Cheren was now glaring at his screen.

"Toxic poisoning doesn't go away when a Pokemon is switched out!" he said, gripping his mouse so tight that veins stood out on his pale hands. "Normal poison damage is 1/16 of a Pokemon's total vitality, as shown by field research done under Oak, while toxic poison racks up damage steadily in intervals, starting with 1/16 and rising as the battle goes on. If a Pokemon is switched out when it is under toxic poison, the act of it resting 'resets' the damage counter, but as soon as it begins to fight again, its energy depletes at the same rate." He shook his head furiously. "How can you call yourself a battling professional without that crucial knowledge!"

His nose was barely an inch from the screen in his rage. "Um, Cheren," Bianca said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I-I think as long as they get their Pokemon to a Pokemon Center immediately, I don't think it makes that much of a difference--"

"But it does!" he replied, whirling around in his seat to her. She could almost see flames erupting in his eyes. "It could be the difference between a KO and a clinch win! This guy is never going to make it in the Kalos Battle Maison with a strategy like that!"

"Battle Maison?" she asked, her voice quivering ever so slightly.

"It's another competitive scene outside of the League. More restrictions, a different format, it requires _much_ more strategy." He suddenly looked Bianca over, noticing her tight posture, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Bel. I just...I hate it when people spew misinformation like this." 

She chuckled and grinned, but the tenseness did not quite leave her. "People are wrong on the internet all the time," she said, wringing her hands. Her voice became tentative. "Um, you haven't...you haven't called me Bel in forever." 

Cheren opened his mouth, then closed it again. A small flush of pink rose in his cheeks. "Well, uh, it just, um...it just came out, that's all," he stammered, fussing with his tie. In his embarrassment, he only succeeded in making it look more messy than before. "So, what have you been up to?" 

"Oh, I've just been helping Professor Juniper with some light field work. Oh, and helping new trainers start their journey!" Her shoulders fell back and her forehead relaxed as she spoke, her hands animating as well. "I've been working with some breeders outside Striaton to make sure we have enough starter Pokemon. The Tepigs are my favorite...they remind me of my Emboar when it was little!" She beamed and giggled as Cheren watched on. "I took a trip to Reversal Mountain again last weekend, to see if I could find Heatran, but I didn't have any luck..."

"You still haven't found Heatran yet?" Cheren asked. "I looked up some things in Lenora's library in Nacrene after the last time you stopped by. From what I found, it's likely to be deep in that mountain. It might be too hot to even travel down there."

"Hm, maybe you're right," she said with a small frown. “I’ll have to let Juniper know.” She sighed and stared down at the floor. “I…haven’t been able to find any sign of…of Hilda, either.”   
  
The heaviness settled back into the atmosphere as Bianca sunk to her knees to tend to Lilipup, in a small attempt to occupy herself. “I’ve…I’ve asked everywhere, everyone we know. They’ve seen that N guy around, but not her—“  
  
“I’ve seen N since then,” Cheren said. He shook his head. “He doesn’t know where she is either. Or, at least that’s all I could get out of him. He speaks in circles.”   
  
“Oh yeah.” she said quietly. She scratched rhythmically behind Lilipup’s ears, focusing on its warm fur and soft texture. “I miss her.”  
  
There was a moment of silence, so much that Bianca snuck a peek back up at Cheren. He had a distant look in his eyes. As soon as he noticed Bianca’s gaze, he refocused. “I miss her, too,” he said finally.   
  
She nodded, then smiled to herself. “I remember one time we walked to the lookout here on our own. It was a beautiful starry night. There were bug Pokemon chirping in the trees. We were talking for a while, you know, about getting our first Pokemon, and about my dad and stuff, and then…” Bianca hesitated, flush growing in her cheeks. Lilipup looked up at her with a small whine.   
  
“And then…?” Cheren persisted, leaning a little in his seat.  
  
“Well…” she began, unable to contain her smile. “She kissed me.”   
  
“Hilda _kissed_ you?” Cheren repeated, wide eyed. “She kissed you on the lips?”  
  
“Y-yeah,” Bianca said, and became frozen. _Uh-oh. I don’t think I've told him that before…_  
  
“Sheesh,” he said, staring up at the ceiling. “Wow.”  
  
“Is…is that okay?” she asked. “Are you mad at me?”  
  
“Of course I’m not mad at you, Bel,” he assured, shaking his head. His intense gaze caught her again, but there was something different in his eyes. “I just…I…”  
  
She waited as he searched for the words, a flush rising in his face, deepening as each second ticked by. “I just…I…”  
  
“Cheren.”  
  
“I wanted to be her first kiss…” He was pouting again, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.   
  
_Oh my…!_ Bianca’s face spread into a grin. “You had a crush on Hilda too?” she asked incredulously. Lilipup escaped from her lap and went to run around Cheren’s legs.   
  
“W-well, who didn’t? Of course I did!” he huffed, leaning forward in his chair. Steam could have been coming out of his ears.   
  
“I wouldn’t have known,” Bianca said, amused. “Your battles with her were always passionate, but I didn’t realize—“  
  
“How else could I have made myself more clear?!” he shouted, nearly falling out of his chair. Bianca laughed as he stumbled, causing him to leap out of his chair and plop across from her, face to face. “How do you know about…about love, anyway?”  
  
“Well, battling isn’t everything, I know that much,” she said. “You don’t seem like the type to be very forward outside of the Gym.”   
  
“I can be forward!” he insisted, his chin jutting forward. He took a deep breath before placing both hands on Bianca’s shoulders. “I-I’ll show you!”   
  
In one swift movement, he moved in on Bianca and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. _Cheren…?!_ She felt her heart jump into her throat, stopping briefly before giving a few loud thumps to alert her that yes, it was still working. Cheren’s lips were dry, but soft, and the heat from his own flushed face was enormous.   
  
It lasted longer than she expected.  
  
When he broke, he lingered just close enough to her face so that she was in focus, but kept his hands where they were. “Ah, I’m sorry,” he said. “I, uh, I got a little carried away…”  
  
“It’s…” Bianca started, her own mouth dry. _My head feels so blank, but light._ “It’s okay. I…”   
  
She huffed quickly, in an attempt to expel her nerves, but to no avail. Instead, she pecked him on the cheek, causing him to pout once again. “It’s okay,” she repeated.   
  
His pout smoothed out, and he looked at her directly. “Bel,” he said. His tone was intimate, something she had never heard from him before. “I like…when you come to visit.”   
  
“Yeah?” She struggled to match it, but her voice was still high and clear, as always. Somehow, it made Cheren smile. Not a haughty smirk he tended to default to during battles, but something softer, more genuine.   
  
“We can keep looking for Hilda together,” he said. His hands fell down her arms, and loosely held her hands.  “But…you can come by a-anytime you’d like.”   
  
Bianca slowly smiled back at him, then gave a perky nod. “Okay,” she said, twisting his fingers around her hands so they were interlaced together. _I’d like to see a different side of you, outside of all your statistics and battles. I want to see the you that’s simply…you._  
  
Cheren’s hands began to shake. “Cheren?” Bianca asked. His face was turning red again. “Are you okay?”  
  
“O-of course!” he insisted, whipping his head up to the side. Upon Bianca’s continuing look, turned back forward, his eyes downcast. “I’ve never held hands like this with anyone before…”  
  
She giggled again. “You’re really silly sometimes,” she remarked, leaning closer.   
  
“I am not! I’m never silly!” he retorted. Although she wasn’t sure if he was putting this on, his clammy hands and beet red face seemed to suggest otherwise. “I have a question, anyway!”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“C-can I…” His tone shifted as he met her eyes directly, “…kiss you again?”  
  
She nodded, and the pair’s lips met again, much longer, much deeper this time around.

**Author's Note:**

> "HOLD ON, PEOPLE ARE WRONG ON THE INTERNET." - huge nerd Cheren
> 
> I love these two as a couple that sort of fall into things. It's a quiet love that grows in a sweet way.


End file.
